Friday, August 31, 2007
Preschool
It was announced yesterday. While the price is higher than any of us expected at $1020/mo, it does include snacks, lunch, before care and after care, and automatic entry into the public and therefore free Harborside Program for K-5. (With Diana De La Pena in place teaching Kindergarten.) And Ms. Pearson and Ms. B are the teachers, the kids and families familiar and the rooms are lovely.
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Posted by Leah Nelson, mother of second grader and soon-to-be-preschooler:
Our family made a decision four years ago to invest in the actual education of our children.
Based on the federal budget cuts, the looming threat of tanking real estate market and various other factors, it was safe for us to guess that the tax base available for public schools in CA and the resources available to fund the increased enrollment would result in an even more narrow educational approach with an emphasis on testing, not thinking, as per the requirements of the well-intended but sadly shortsighted No Child Left Behind Act.
For a Cliff’s Note version of my philosophy, please view “Mr. Holland’s Opus”. I am not interested in educating my children such that they can pass tests and nothing else:
Vice Principal Wolters: ”I care about these kids just as much as you do. And if I'm forced to choose between Mozart and reading and writing and long division, I choose long division. “
Glenn Holland:” Well, I guess you can cut the arts as much as you want, Gene. Sooner or later, these kids aren't going to have anything to read or write about.”
Weighing all the options, we were thrilled that Harborside, in fact, existed, and that for a posted tuition of about 9,500 per year, we would eventually have Eighth-Graders ready for any public or private institution offering 9-12. We made a decision to invest in Harborside, regardless of whether the dream of Harborside High ever truly would materialize.
Well, that 9,500 didn’t quite include daycare, and didn’t quite include July and August. Or half of June. Also only included the hours of 8:30 to 3:30, maximum. Before which or after which additional costs would accrue.
Also didn’t include the cost of lunch, while although maybe not worth the $5 we paid on Friday Fun Lunch, at least gave the lunch packing spouse a chance to do a rapid cost –benefit analysis and realize that $5 simply isn’t worth the effort of packing a lunch for a child that will mostly return 50% uneaten, anyway.
So we paid $60-$250 month in $5 increments for additional daycare, or sprang for the Harborside Usury Rate of $275 per month, during the course of the school year and redirected $175/ week or $225 week or $275 (EQUESTRIAN CAMP!!) during the summer months. Well in excess of 12,000 per year. Plus lunch.
Nice to say 9,500 per year. Did any preschooler parent actually pay 9,500 and nothing else? If yes, well managed, well done, and how fortunate for you that you and/or your spouse could work around a seven-hour workday, including lunch, offered 40 weeks of the year, and simply absorb the extra hours the rest of us are forced to pay for. I wish I could be among you. And you that absorbed the extra cost for ‘free’ know just how much that ‘free’ cost you.
We’ve spent about 36,000 for Jodie so far, for preK, K and 1st Grade . We planned to spend about 24,000 this year for Max and Jodie. Then 24,000, give or take, for each of the additional years they both would be in school.
My family’s math, using LOW costs:
Jodie has 4 years until she graduates 5th grade; Max has 8. 8 + 4 +12.
12 x 9,500 = 112,000 (min).
We actually consumed at a rate of about 12,000, per year, so a max of 12 x 12,000 = 144,000. (max)
Jodie’s continuing education through grade 5 will cost ZERO. We will pay for Max for two years at 12,250 per year.
Given a min of 112,000 or a max (sorry, Max) of 144,000, we will save at least 112,000 – 25,500 = 86,500, or as much as 144,000 – 25,500 = 118,500 over the next 5 years.
Ok, so lock, stock and barrel, the Harborside PRESCHOOL program did not move to Harborside at Washington. Did everything else? Are there a few bugs to be worked out? Would you rather be elsewhere? If, maybe, Art and Music and Spanish do not exist at this point in Preschool, will you throw the Harborside Kindergartner out with the Harborside Preschool bathwater?
Did Dr Aleman and Mr. Suarez move mountains to get to this point? Can we commit to them to the extent that they committed to us for the future of the Harborside curriculum, which we stressed again and again was based on the foundation set by Ms. Pearson, Ms. Laurie and Ms. Antoinette in the two years preceding Kindergarten? Now is not the time to quibble over what may amount to a few dollars extra per day for a program we know to be effective means by which Harborside Kindergarten students become Harborside students. And K on, don’t forget, is ‘free’.
You’ve got six years to recoup your two year investment.
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